Choosing a Back-Up Software Program to Copy Video Games

If you are a gamer, you probably live in fear of losing your favorite games because of lost or damaged disks. Did you know you can copy video games using your CD and DVD computer drive? Using backup software to copy your video game is legal if you follow certain guidelines. You can create a game backup for your private use – but not for sale. This guideline also requires that you own a legally purchased copy of the video game. A legal copy of game software includes a product key and a license to legally use the video game and software.  

Now that you understand your rights and obligations, you probably want to know how to copy games. An online search for video game backup programs will result in shareware and programs available for purchase. As with any shareware program, you should download and use the programs with caution unless you know that the software contains no spyware and is relatively bug free and legal to use. Backup software available for purchase varies in quality and some backup software programs take hours to create a back-up copy, while others take only 30-45 minutes. You’ll want to look at the specifications and features of the software you purchase to backup video games. Consider speed, the size of the files the program will install on your computer to run the software, the cost and the rating of quality and dependability as rated by top gaming sites.

You should also consider how the backup software makes a copy of the video game. Most commercial video games encrypt game files so that all files are not copied onto a disk when you try to make a copy of the video game and its associated files. Without some of these critical files, you cannot run the game from your backup disk. There are workarounds for most of these video game backup programs. For example, in some instances, you will have to modify the ‘run’ settings on your game when you use the copy disk from your library. In other instances, you will have to install a chip to run the copy. When you consider the cost of the video game copy program, it is important to understand these tradeoffs. You may want to spend a little more on the backup software in exchange for ease of use when you need to use the copy you made. Finally, you should look for a program that provides detailed instructions on how to use the program.

If you are in the market for a product to copy your video game, you should also know that some backup software is available for free trial before you buy. While you may not end up buying that particular program, using one of the free trial game backup programs will give you some idea of what you can expect, how the software program works and whether or not you want to buy a program to copy games.